Scientology Shriveling. Media Take Note: They Lie To You.

This is the page listing the scientology orgs in the August 1976 reprint of Scientology A New Slant On Life.

This presents the perfect opportunity to make a comparison to the list published in What Is Scientology? in 1992 and then the CURRENT list on scientology.org. This is convenient breakdown into three periods.

I. From 1954 (the first church in Los Angeles) to 1976 (22 years).

II. From 1976 to 1992 (16 years).

III. From 1992 to 2014 (22 years).

You could call the first era the LRH Era, II is the Transition Era and III is the Miscavige Era.

This review definitively puts to rest ANY claims of straight up and vertical, 47X expansion in the Miscavige Era and classic bs the church sends to the media like this one to ABC News in July 2013 from Karin “Pinocchio” Pouw: “Scientology is a new religion enjoying explosive growth. In recent years we have opened 37 new Churches in major metropolitan areas and cultural centers in a dozen nations. This year will see many more milestones in the months to come. Mr. Miscavige is a visionary…” There are NUMEROUS examples of this line being run on the media — “If you were a real reporter you would find out the real story instead of listening to a handful of bitter, defrocked apostates on the fringes of the internet. Scientology, under the sublime leadership of Mr. David Miscavige, is undergoing its greatest expansion ever, with X new churches opened just in the last X.” It is a staple of every response to the media no matter the topic they are reporting on.

But back to the topic at hand here. Let’s also not also forget the population of earth in 1954 was about 2.7 billion. In 76 it was about 4.0 billion. By 92 it was about 5.4 billion. Today it is around 7.3 billion.

Here are the breakdowns by scientology continental area (now updated with two additional closures sent in by readers — CC Mun and ASHO Fdn).

TOTALS:

ORGS OPENED BETWEEN 1954 and 1976: FIFTY SEVEN while the population increased from 2.7 to 4 billion

ORGS ADDED BETWEEN 1976 and 1992: EIGHTY EIGHT whilethe population increased from 4 to 5.4 billion

ORGS ADDED BETWEEN 1992 and 2014: THREE while the population increased from 5.4 to 7.3 billion

“47X”, “straight up and vertical”, “greatest period of growth in history” are not just lies, they are magnificent, bald-faced, incredible, astonishing, unbelievable lies.

The dwindling number of sheeple keep swallowing them as they accept ANYTHING they are told by their Dear Leader.

What is more disturbing is the fact that when the church sends the media this drivel about their expansion and opening new churches blah blah blah, they often accept it uncritically, print it and thus give some credence to the lies.

I hope that in future, media will be interested enough to do a bit of research and perhaps even look at these facts.

Peter Griffiths has taken the time to create graphs to visually tell the story above. I am adding them below.

Comments

Ah, ha – that list from 1976 cleared something up – I kept hearing that Pennsylvania only ever had 1 org – Philadelphia. But I distinctly recall the “Ardmore Org” so that would have made two orgs in PA.

But I see there that the so-called Philadelphia Org was actually located in Ardmore at that time. I may have been called the Philly org by the Church, but locals called it the Ardmore Org. That jogged my memory – now I remember when it moved to Race Street.

So the two Orgs I remember – Philadelphia and Ardmore – were actually one and the same. Blast from the past, man.

Speaking of which, seeing all those pre-Cedars Los Angeles org addresses is bringing on the nostalgia… Makes me want to take a run down to Tommy’s Hamburgers at Beverly and Rampart next time I’m in LA!

Did you notice the numbers for Europe and Italy (which was still “run by EU”, but had a sub-coverning office in Milano) … during that time of expansion the CO (Commanding Officer)n for Europa was Guillaume Lesevre. And due to that he was called to become ED INT (Executive Director International) in 1982.
Look what happened then … no further expansion in Europe and Guillaume, who drove a somewhat realistic expansion forward in those days, over the years made ineffective and driven off the scene.
Was he too good (meaning a threat) for DM?!!! 😉

I noticed other spots that may need a look at. I’m not trying to be nit picky at all, but I think that this is such an important article and has such important info. I didn’t want anyone reading it to have lingering questions. Mike’s post is a brilliant simple analysis of truth – plain as day.

The worst thing to do with something like this is try and modify it (you may know the original version had a list that was from the wrong date). And I didn’t do a really good job of proofing the changes.

I have corrected all the points. I will alert Pete. He already redid these a couple of times! But I will let him know.

Mike, you ARE dispensing mercy…..you are hitting them with the TRUTH. Thanks for providing hard data to validate what I and many other old timers remember.

It is very important for newer Scientologists to know that Miscavige is a usurper. He has NOT been expanding Scientology.
He the main source of its shrinking.
He has NOT been “purifying” the Tech.
He has been and altering it and corrupting its application.

Old timers who remember when Scientology was actually expanding and the Tech was more purely taught and applied have a perspective that newer people do not have. I am not going to call ALL of you newer Scientologists “cool-aid drinkers” even if may of you are. But,I will say that you are “believers”. I invite you to take an honest look at these statistics that Mike is publishing here for you to see. He’s not making this stuff up.
Despite the bombastic bragging, Miscavige is no LRH…..far from it.
Ron was a great writer, and inquirer, and a seeker of truth who discovered many things that have enhanced people’s lives.
Miscavige is a gravy trainer who has been usurping, corrupting and leeching off of someone else’s accomplishments.

Mike, Very nice job you did putting this info together. I think the press will find it useful and very welcome.

I think the FOT book that RJ sent you may be using a list of orgs as of around 1977 rather than 1973. As ASHO and AOLA, LAD, etc. all have the Big Blue addresses in that book which I think started in 1977 after CoS purchased Cedars in 1976.

Fascinating summary coming from an apostate in the fringes of the Internet but, aside joking, THANK YOU.

Now, close to 1992-1993 DM was more on the lines, since then some Orgs have closed and Mission NW definitely was collapsed by then.

In Mexico, specifically Guadalajara, since its inception the Org has had 3 staff members and about 5-6 public in moments of momentary affluence. It is so inactive that practically falls into the category of nonexistent. And I am sure there are many others around the globe in the same category.

The overall picture is implosion.

Re the point of lying so bluntly to the parishioners and media, it indicates a sick soul, to say the least. But lies eventually evaporate after hitting you hard in the face.

Basel was a Mission until 1980 when it became a Class IV Org. Bern was a Mission in 1974 and some years later became a Class IV Org, but Bern ist mentionned 2x (before and after 1974).
Also, Geneva isn’t really an Org, it has about 2-3 Staffs and the same with Bern which has about 5-6 staffs and is in a very run-down building.
May I make a Suggestion….
It would be cool to have a link for the media, where they can get their Infos as short and concise FACTS without any bias or HE&R and with all references and links to the sources of the Facts and summaries, so they can make up their minds in very short time. Facts are Facts.

And by the way, Basel which will open soon will have the nicest overwiev from any front Window over one of the propably biggest psychiatric compound of the world . About 1 square Kilometer of different Psychiatric clinics, hospitals for the disableds and all kinds of health institutions. The students and Pc’s can then walk around in very nice psychiatric parcs and can meet the products of psychiatric care and any time they look out the Windows they’ll see all the clinics and be reminded of their SPs.

I make a bet that DM will not be at the opening ceremony of Basel, as he wouldn’t be able to confront this phantastic view, and also there will not be a possibilty to put a huge crowd in front of the building for the ceremony as on the street where the entrance is are rails for the tramways that will pass the org about every 10 Minutes in both directions. And the tramway in Basel is a holy cow that the People are proud of, and they’ll never aloud the tramways not running. Perhaps they’ll make the ceremony on a parking behind the building where there isn’t the main entrance. They will be very busy photoshopping to get any good Pictures.

I bet DM will not come to Basel inmidst one of the most suppressiv Environment full of Psychiatrists and Pharmaceutical Industry as Walter Kotric and the CO of Basel used to say.
You’ll have to pay me a beer when he’ll not come MIKE !

ahh Truth… the final frontier.
The media is something of a wonder in the way they gobble up lies when even a cursory look at the facts and an iota of research paints an entirely different picture.
Maybe, just maybe some honesty might creep into the broader public arena regarding the abusive and downright criminal activities of miscavige. I hope the media starts to care about the victims a bit more than a story line.
Tick tock Davey boy, the tide has began to turn. Your 30 year comm lag is announcing itself.

Nice snapshot of the “Orgs”. I want to add that the number of staff, public getting services, and anyone who identifies with scientology as their religion or philosophy has collapsed. Evidenced by completions , national surveys of religious memberships and visuals of the facilities and their parking lots. “Orgs”, as a number, are just descriptive of the MEST and organized entities. Scientology is like a corpse from which the spirit has long since fled.

Nice to see that some, outside of the clampire, can count. It would be nice if other news organizations would actually check on Pouw’s ‘releases’, but the newspaper world just doesn’t work like that anymore.

How much of the new mOrgs actually represent the consolidation of a number of missions? With the disappearance of the ‘foundation’ mOrgs (actually just the night shift) how many actual organizational units are still operating?

The stalled ‘renovations’ of new mOrgs in Boston, Philadelphia and other places just shows that the real estate scam is on its last legs. The locals seem to have caught on to the International Landlord scam that sees the money raised by the locals ‘disappear’ into some other account.

I am going to get a tshirt with the 47x logo on it, that meme is just hilarious.

Mike, there is a bit of an out-point here “…back pages of a copy of Fundamentals of Thought published in 1973.”
The addresses of the Orgs don’t match this date. The date would likely be in the early 80’s.

asking the main stream media to print facts is like asking scientology to do the same. never gonna happen.

but one thing leads to another……..

The deception with tact, just what are you trying to say?
You’ve got a blank face, which irritates
Communicate, pull out your party piece
You see dimensions in two
State your case with black or white
But when one little cross leads to shots, grit your teeth
You run for cover so discreet, why don’t they

Do what they say, say what you mean
One thing leads to another
You told me something wrong, I know I listen too long
But then one thing leads to another.

The impression that you sell
Passes in and out like a scent
But the long face that you see comes from living close
To your fears

If this is up then I’m up but you’re running out of sight
You’ve seen your name on the walls
And when one little bump leads to shock miss a beat
You run for cover and there’s heat, why don’t they

Do what they say, say what they mean
One thing leads to another
You told me something wrong, I know I listen too long
But then one thing leads to another
One thing leads to another

Then it’s easy to believe
Somebody’s been lying to me
But when the wrong word goes in the right ear
I know you’ve been lying to me
It’s getting rough, off the cuff I’ve got to say enough’s enough

Bigger the harder he falls
But when the wrong antidote is like a bulge on the throat
You run for cover in the heat, why don’t they

Do what they say, say what they mean
One thing leads to another
You tell me something wrong, I know I listen too long
But then one thing leads to another

Good work Mike. I would add that all of the new Orgs in the US in the Miscavige period were just to clean up a mess – Harlem and Inglewood due to pressure to get black people into Scientology and to appear “hip” and “inclusive”. Los Gatos was a mission turned into an Org in order to sweep up the Joey Allesandrini mess. Did he go to prison or was he just kicked out of Scientology?

He was a criminal Mission Holder who ripped off tons of money from the Mission to live a very lavish lifestyle, including a very extensive collection of expensive wines. There were a lot of the Mission Holders from that era who were in it for the money — it wasn’t all the rose tinted glasses stories that people recall so fondly of the wonderful missions. Though I will say that the free market was probably a better incentive for these guys to make their missions work (ie be profitable) than admin tech proved to be. They did things their way.

Alessandrini landed himself in the sights of the IRS and we had to bail him out to prevent him being prosecuted, take away the mission and turn it into an org under management control, clean up the financial irregularities and calm the IRS down as it was a breach of the settlement agreement terms and he could have single-handedly lost exemption for all churches.

I am explaining the circumstances then, not how I might view it now.

Alessandrini was brought to LA under OSA care for some time. He was also going through a divorce. And his daughter was in the SO in LA.

There were 2 missions in Oklahoma city, one in the 1980s and one in the 1990s. That was before I lived in OKC so I don’t know exactly what happened. I don’t think Oklahoma would be the easiest place to start a mission.

Jenni, my Dad’s side of the family were from OKC. If they found out about scientology, they’d be at their door with torches and pitchforks along with tar and feathers. They don’t cotton to cults in that part of the country.

Mr. Miscavige certainly IS a visionary. How can you doubt it? He sees things no one else sees. Breaking down the time periods into the LRH period, transitional period and Miscavige period is very useful and illuminating.

Similar to a lobster that doesn’t realize it is being boiled to death, the church has been transformed, bit by bit, from a collection of churches into Miscavige’s real estate empire. What happens to the money when the enterprise gets sold?

Very apt observation “Similar to a lobster that doesn’t realize it is being boiled to death, the church has been transformed, bit by bit”

What will happen when the enterprise is sold? It will never be sold. No one legally owns it and its corporate charter has no provisions for dissolution. It will continue until its resources are depleted.

Now if I were a criminally insane evil genius, I would run the tech into the ground till there was no demand for it, then reduce the liabilities and expenses to a point below what the endowment of the church could supply in income from investments, while keeping up the appearances of being a religion.

Which is what I see happening. Well maybe not with the genius part, but certainly the evil.

“David Miscavige… easily cost us $25 million in overspends. He… is a very unlikable character. In my dealings with him, he treated me with disdain. He was arrogant, lacking any warmth… and was generally unkind. That gives a good sample of this man as a Scientology executive. He did not care about Scientology staff or the public.”

“It is Sea Org policy that when a person’s production consistently amounts to a destructive act, they shall be demoted. There were years of negligence and the many legal mess-ups that… Miscavige… was involved in from his position cost the Church many millions.”

The 47 X expansion number has to be the amount of Scotch consumed
by the great visionary at Int.Base. If this claim was made by a company on the NY stock exchange
it would be checked out by all of the Worlds expert analysts. Nobody ( except you know who)makes a claim like this without the proof and hard statistics to back it up

What a fantastic and useful summary! Thank you very much. In its own way, this is a great followup to yesterday’s post which proved that online activism can be effective and response turnaround time can be quick in some cases, i.e. the Chult’s infringement on the Univ. of Michigan’s IP. (See http://www.mikerindersblog.org/a-funny-thing-happened/)

I can’t help but think that today’s post is a further call to action to those of us engaged in armchair and grassroots activism and also a quiet challenge to those who have been fence sitters, dissaffected, or pessimistic about the power of one individual, armed with only a keyboard and an internet connection, to affect change.

Here’s powerful data handed to us, neatly tabulated on a single page, ready to be printed out for quiet dissemination to the scientologists in our lives who we are trying to wake up, or it can be linked to and forwarded to the appropriate media, city council, business people, research groups, politicians, lawyers, or other opinion leaders that we are trying to reach with the truth about the current status of the CofS.

I can also see how for every press release or statement issued to the media by COB-Un and his Church of Spin, using his sock puppet Karin Pouw, which boasts of its expansion and David Miscavige’s unavailability due to his busy, busy, busy ecclesiastical schedule and the dedication of new churches globally, we can counteract this by simply attaching or linking this data along with a simple explanatory note – then hit SEND. Viola! Done. Done. And Done!

On a personal level, this has made my life a lot simpler and I have utter confidence in forwarding this data. Mr. Mike, I can’t begin to tell you enough how appreciative I am for this information today!

The name of this blog “Something Can Be Done About It” is modeled after this blog’s Mission Statement (see link at the top) and Mike has proven this day after day by exposing the truth about the Chult, with his daily dedication to this blog, his willingness to give affidavits in courts cases, and many other actions that we will probably never know about. Mike and his blog have strengthened my conviction that indeed I, too, can do something about it. Today’s data just made it easier for me to do so.

Great comment Cars. It’s important for us to remember that we’re not alone. There are many, many decent groups and productive individuals who are being a voice of reason and integrity in the world. They are my group, they are my people. Despite the depravity of the current radical church, I still feel that auditing can be a force for good and relief of suffering, for those that wish it. Dm the usurper and his minions have actively suppressed the hope of many, for too long with their duplicity and lies. There is a much bigger picture out there, of true spiritual advancement or “livingness”, in a word, integrity. The hangers-on have abandoned theirs entirely, and methinks Mike has plenty.

Great comment Hallie Jane, I’m currently getting the best auditing I’ve ever received in the Independent field. Ruds are always in, speed of case gain 47x and no IAS reg lurking in the waiting room. The furture will be much much better for Scientology in the Independent Field. P.S. I’m a CLVI C/S and do know something of what I write about.

The “popular posts” is generated by the number of visitors. So you either need to click on it about 10,000 times, or pay someone in India to do it like the church does.

But I can make this featured. I just want to be sure I have all the facts straight about the date of the list I published from FOT as there is some back and forth about that right now. Once I have it straight and the posting modified accordingly I will feature this on the front page so it is easy to find.

Wow… when I 1st read this story about them buying a $37 million Australian property, I figured it was just a PR stunt for the whales and clapping seals. Something like this: RCS “buys” the property on the contingency of zoning approval and then they get their money back after the locals throw them out, but in the meantime Miscavige gets the whales and clapping seals to cough up even more money for nothing more than an empty contract and some more controversy about the cult of Scientology. If they go ahead with this, the only people moving into that building will be foreigners that don’t speak English! Ha, what a joke.

I don’t think that there are whales to speak of in Australia, especially in Sydney.

It took 10 years and a lot of fundraising to pull off just the renovation of Sydney Org and they skimped on everything they could (chipboard used extensively, glass dividers in the FART were thin and not secured properly from day one, floor tiles moving above cabling, etc). McMansion quality.

The AO owns its current location in Greek St and it’s been eyed for residential development for a long time so I think those developers who got the Audio Lab site rezoned may have an option to buy the property at Greek St or the Sea Org may pay some interest on a bridging loan until its sold.
(Part of the Audio Lab site will have 60 odd townhouses built on it and the DA got approved on condition of repurposing the old Lab building, and that is what the Sea Org bought into).
I am sure they’ll get on the news when the locals realise that the approved operations plan will remain just a plan.

Wow that was a damning report. I thought that was a very valid point, about the dangers of mental therapy delivered by undertrained, inexperienced people. I’ve had a long time peeve about auditors not being allowed the time and care to develop into really competent people. This can’t happen under duress, rushing, exhaustion, inval/eval and starvation. The rcs took it to new levels, by getting rid of the ones who had developed some experience, in spite of everything, and putting out the robotic, 3 swing, lack of arc types. It’s so irrational to not take care of the front line people that are supposed to deliver an important, expensive product. We’re seeing the results.

Excellent article. This give a true picture of what Dear Leader is really doing with the Organization. I only hope the sheeple will open their eyes and do what LRH says to do: LOOK! DON’T LISTEN!
Thank you Mike!

Then you are not looking at the same book I am.
Dianetics Today….First Printing, 1975. In the very back pages
there is a list of Churches and Missions. I counted 72 Missions in
the US alone. Then Missions in Canada, South Africa, New Zealand,
Australia, Europe, United Kingdom and Other Areas.

My mistake. I didnt realize you were referring to the list in Dianetics Today, I thought you were referring to the list in my post. I don’t get to see what the comment is responding to when I moderate it….

Oh Boy……while reading this summation of the history of the Orgs I had a vision of Muhammad Ali backing his opponent into the ropes and delivering a series of devastating blows that leaves his opponent bleeding and spent.

When this happens all the victim can do is cover up and hope either the ring judge will step in and stop the onslaught or the bell will ring and save the unfortunate sap.

Mike, where is your sense of mercy? You need to start pulling your punches because you are killing em !!!

It would be interesting to see the fate of the mission network laid out in such a simple fashion.

I know that in Vancouver back in 1974 the org had roughly 90 staff and the mission had around 20. The number of active members in and around the Vancouver area, based on my own call in lists, was around 325.

The mission closed shortly after the miscavige purge.

From recent reports I’ve received, scientology in Vancouver is a wasteland with more and more quietly or loudly leaving the cult. The hangers-on are becoming increasingly miscavige-like in their attitude toward the world. While the miscavige valence is pretty good at raking in money and building attractive edifices, it simply doesn’t attract theta people (something missions did tend to do before miscavige destroyed them).

Thank you Mike for continuing to shine the light of truth and exposing the lies David Miscavige and his church “sock-puppets” excrete out to the media and the true believers on the Church of Scientology’s straight up and vertical expansion. In this fast paced era of the Internet and getting the news out before the competition, the media has become lazy. 24/7 news reporting has, unfortunately, limited the time journalists have to investigate and find the true facts. Media outlets too often depend on others to do their “research” and find the stories for them. Journalists, like Joe Childs of the Tampa Bay Times, who take the time to more thoroughly research their stories, are a dying breed. You are doing a great service by getting the truth out on the internet for the broad public, journalists and other media to see. And then, there are also the true believers who sometimes start scratching their heads and thinking “something just doesn’t seem right here.” That’s the beginning of the end as many of them start to ask questions and look on the Internet, gasp at what they read, and then they look some more about what Miscavige is saying and they start to see the truth – they’ve been lied to by their Dear Leader and those they trusted most in the Church. It is an awakening of sweet sorrow for them but knowing the truth from the lies is the way out of any trap. Thank you Mike for continuing to shine the light on their lies and expose the truth.

By all means, send it directly to Joe Childs of the Tampa Bay Times and to each member of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, who are being lied to so thoroughly by the church. It should help lessen the church’s credibility and maybe Clearwater can get on with their own plans for expansion.

Thank you Mike, gives me hope that my daughter will see the light someday!
Would love to hear from you, Sara Goldberg, you inspired me to tell my story sbout my daughter. I sent you a request on Facebook…

Thanks Mary Jane. I’m very happy to hear that my speaking out inspired you to do the same. That was my purpose in doing the story: that others would too gain the courage and be inspired to stand up to and speak out against injustice. I’d love to connect with you on FB.

What about closing orgs? Isn’t the number of orgs now quite a lot less? Yes, I know you can’t find that straight from the magazine, but it’s the sort of thing I’d expect an intrepid reporter coming across this article might research. Or you know, that under-cover lurker. You, yeah, you! You’ve seen that orgs close, and here’s thirty years of evidence that they aren’t expanding. What else are you being lied to about?

Great post, Mike. But don’t hold your breath waiting for the media to do anything. They no longer are concerned with reporting “Truth”, but rather “Sensation” and anything which might help sell the items they advertise. Investigative reporting is now left totally to the internet which, fortunately, is doing a terrific job.

However, that said, simply malling posts like this one to specific media outlets will probably get them placed in their morgue files, there to be discovered by reporters for use in articles.

Thank you for this excellent report. I am glad you found the page from that Scn book showing all the orgs and did the research on the years. By using the church’s own page from their own book, it proves that you aren’t pulling numbers out of your ass like DM does. I hope all reporters come to this article before they report anything about the RCOS.

Important Quotes

If the org slumps during this transition period, don't engage in "fund raising"
or "selling postcards" or borrowing money. Just make more income with Scientology.
L Ron Hubbard From HCOPL URGENT ORG PROGRAMMING

"We own a tremendous amount of property. We own a tremendous amount of material and so forth, and it keeps growing.
But that’s not important. When buildings get important to us, for God sakes, some of you born revolutionists will you please blow up central headquarters".
L Ron Hubbard Lecture 31 Dec 1960

"Personal integrity is knowing what you know. What you know is what you know and to have the courage to know and say what you have observed".- LRH from Personal Integrity

"It is necessary to happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists of professing to believe what he does not believe." Thomas Paine

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Martin Luther King

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

“Communication is the universal solvent” - L Ron Hubbard

“When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.” Thomas Paine

"Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the earth." William Faulkner

"The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis." Dalai Lama